Furniture leg shoe



March 27, 1934. R. E. MILLER FURNITURE LEG SHOE Filed March 1931Patented Mar. 27, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT QFFECE 6 Claims.

My present invention relates generally to a sliding shoe for furniturelegs.

One of the objects of my invention is the provision and arrangement ofshoe elements whereby they can be readily assembled with anddisassembled from each other and with the leg of a chair.

' Another object of my invention is the provision of an arrangementwhereby the weight of the piece of furniture will keep the assembledshoe elements in proper relationship to each other and the assembly inproper relationship to the furniture leg.

Another object of my invention is the pro vision of an arrangementwhereby in a simple, inexpensive and eflicient manner, a free swivelingarrangement is provided for, between the shoe and the furniture leg.

It is a general object of my invention to provide an inexpensive andeasily assembled furniture leg shoe.

- For the attainment of these objects and of such other objects as mayhereinafter appear or be pointed out, I have illustrated an embodimentof my invention in the drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of the parts of the shoe;

Figure 2 is a perspective thereof;

- Figure 3 is 'a top plan view of a shoe element;

Figure 4 is a vertical cross section through the shoe; and V Figure 5 isa horizontal cross section taken on line 55 of Figure 4.

Upon viewing Figure 1 of the drawing, it will be observed that my shoecomprises three members, namely the yieldable member 10, a'relativelyrigid member 11, and a member 12 that serves to secure the assembly ofthe two to a furniture leg. i I

The member 10 is preferably in a form of a block or disc of resilient oryieldable material such as rubber. It is generally cylindrical in shape,and in .the embodiment illustrated, is defined by the cylindrical sidewall 15, the upper wall 16, and a bottom wall. The upper wall is shownas substantially flat. The bottom wall is downwardy bulged as shown at18, so as to provide the fiat annular surface 19 encompassing the domeshaped surface 18.

The disc 10 has radial grooves 20 formed therein, three such groovesbeing shown in the drawing. These grooves are shown as equidistantlyspaced about the disc and opening assembled view outwardly through theside wall 15 and through the annular section 19 of the bottom Wall.

The disc 10 may be formed by a casting or molding operation with thegrooves 20 cast or molded therein, and in this operation I find itadvisable to so dimension the circuiar dome shaped section 18 with.reference to the radial depth of the grooves 20 as to provide eachgroove with the overhanging lip 22 as shown clearly in Figure 4.

The member 11 is a relatively rigid dome or cup shaped member shown inthe drawing as made of metal as by a stamping operation. The member isprovided on the outer up-turned peripheral edge thereof with the fingersor prongs 25. The diameter of the dome shaped member at its mouth isillustrated in the drawing as such that the perimeter 25 defining themouth of this member 11 will, when the member 11 is assembled with themember 10, seat itself on the annular fiat section 19 of the wall 17,although it will be understood that the purposes of my invention will beserved generally, if an abutting relation is established in a mannerother than as here described. An air space is formed between the member11 and dome-shaped surface 18, above the annular surface 19, and thiswill add to the cushioning effect as it per-- mits lateral expansion of18. g

The upper edge 25 or" the mouth of this member 11 has extendedtherefrom, the prongs or fingers 26, which in the illustrated embodimentare shown as provided with free ends which gradually taper from arelatively Wide base, and preferably terminate in an end which may bemore or less pointed for reasons that will shortly be understood.

The prongs or fingers 26, are first bent upwardly as shown in Figures 1and 4, and .the

free ends 27 then bent inwardly toward the center of the cup, theextreme ends also receiving a slightly reverse or downward inclinationfor reasons that will also be understood shortly.

In assembling the elements 10 and 11, the prongs 26 are purposely sopositioned and spaced as to be capable of being brought intoregistration with the slots or grooves 20. When such registration isattained, it will be found that the ends 27 of the prongs 26 are more orless in superposed relation to the projections 22 already referred toand when pressure is applied between the members 11 and 10, the bentends 27 of the prongs 26 will force their way over and past theoverhanging lips 22 which can be readily accomplished because of theresiliency of the material of which the member 10 is made. Thisoperation is facilitated by the reverse curvature of the ends 27, abovereferred to. The free ends 27 of the prongs 26 define a circle which isof smaller diameter than that defined by the inner walls of the grooves20, and as a result, when the assembly is completed, it will be foundthat the free ends 27 of the prongs 26, which as has already beenstated, are rigid, will be forced into the aforementioned inner walls ofthe grooves and will assume the positions which it has been attempted toshow in Figure 4 of the drawing. This biting-in assures a firm hold ofthe prongs, and movement of the cap in a downward position is stronglyresisted by the downwardly directed end portions 2'7 of fingers 26.

The rubber block 10 is shown as provided with the central opening 30passing therethrough, and which is widened at its inner or dome shapedend as shown at 31 to receive the head or abutment 32 of the securingmember 12, the shank 33 of which is passed through the opening 30.

The shoe parts may be assembled with each other and with a furniture legas follows: the securing member 12 is passed through the opening 30 ofthe rubber block 10 so as to seat the headed abutment end 32 in theenlarged portion 31 of the opening through the block. The member 11 isthen positioned so as to bring the prongs 26 into registration with theslots 2G, and is then forced upon the block 10 so as to bring the partsto the position of Figure 4. The pointed end of the nail 12 is thensecured to a furniture leg as by hitting the cap member 11 opposite thehead 32 of the nail with a hammer so that the pressure is appliedthrough the cap directly to the head of the nail. Or the assembled nail12, and the block 10 can first be secured to the table leg by drivingdirectly upon the head of the nail, and then the cap 11 can beassociated with the rubber block in the manner already set forth.

It will be observed that while the nail may, when the assembly carriesthe weight of the chair, abut against the rigid cap member 11, the nail12 is carried entirely by the rubber disc and can assume various angularpositions with reference thereto due to the resiliency of the rubberdisc and the compressibility of its various parts so that in a verysimple manner I obtain a free swiveling action between the shoe and thechair leg. Furthermore the weight of the chair in compressing the rubberdisc will serve to more securely bind together the metal cap 11 and thisrubber disc.

Having thus described my invention and illus trated its use, what Iclaim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. Asa new article of manufacture, a substantially cylindrical disc ofresilient, deformable material adapted to form part of a sliding shoefor furniture, said disc having a longitudinal bore to accommodate meansfor securing the disc to a furniture leg, and provided with a series oflongitudinal grooves in the peripheral surface thereof adapted to engageportions of a cap for protecting the disc, to prevent relative rotationthereof.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a substantially cylindrical disc ofresilient, deformable material adapted to form part of a sliding shoefor furniture, said disc having a longitudinal bore to accommodate meansfor securing the disc to a furniture leg, and provided with a series oflongitudinal grooves in the peripheral surface thereof adapted to engageportions of a cap for protecting the disc to prevent relative rotationthereof, each groove extending into the disc in a radial direction andhaving one end open at one end of said disc, and yieldable, overhanginglips at said open ends.

3. A sliding shoe for furniture, comprising a substantially cylindricaldisc of relatively soft, resilient material and provided with aplurality of longitudinally extending grooves in the peripheral surfacethereof, said grooves being partly open at one end, a partial closurebeing effected by yieldable lips protruding from the main body of thedisc, a floor-engaging cap on one end of said disc and having aperipheral contour adapted to form a smooth continuation of theperipheral surface of said disc, and gently curved, integral fingersformed on the free edge of said cap and extending into said grooves,respectively, to prevent relative rotation of said cap, the tips of saidfingers being in pinching engagement with the floors of said grooves,respectively, and having their ends reversely curved to prevent readywithdrawal of the cap and on attempted withdrawal engaging said lips,which thereby provide a further resistance to withdrawal.

4. As a new article of manufacture, a floor engaging cap of relativelyunyielding, hard material adapted to form part of a sliding shoe forfurniture, said cap being shallowly cup-shaped and provided at its freeedge with a series of integral fingers gently curving upwardly andinwardly and at their extreme ends being curved slightly downwardly in areverse direction.

5. A sliding shoe for furniture, comprising a substantially cylindricaldisc of relatively soft, resilient material and provided with aplurality of longitudinally extending grooves formed in the peripheralsurface thereof, a floor-engaging cap seated on one end of said discwithin the confines thereof and having a peripheral contour adapted toform a smooth continuation of the peripheral surface of said disc, andmeans on said cap and extending into said grooves and engaging the sidesthereof, said means comprising portions adapted for engagement with thesides of said grooves and passing into said grooves without deformingany material and adapted to prevent relative rotation of said cap andsaid disc, and said means, also comprising other portions adapted todeform said material when the cap is inserted in place and adapted toprevent relative rotation of said cap and said disc and to prevent readywithdrawal of said cap from said disc.

6. In an article of the character described, a cushion disc having acentral aperture and peripheral longitudinal grooves, and a protectingcap for the lower portion of the disc having means for engaging thegrooves to prevent relative rotation and ready withdrawal of the cap,whereby the cushion disc may first be fastened in place by means passingthrough the central aperture, and the protecting cap may then beapplied.

ROBERT E. MILLER.

